The Lark Ascending

The Lark Ascending is one of the most popular pieces in English music. It shares the concert with Benedicite, another richly expressive work by Vaughan Williams, and lyrical orchestral miniatures by Delius. There are folk-song settings, including a new one by Mike Stubbs and two extended items by local composers: Hilary Burgoyne’s wonderful On a Strange Shore, with Mary Bowell on ‘cello, and the haunting Death and the Maiden by John Moseley. Beth Hartless is the soloist in this while Patricia Heyes, so well-known to Merseyside audiences, is the solo soprano in Benedicite.